J.C. Penney Co Inc said on Wednesday it will close 33 underperforming stores and cut 2,000 jobs as part of its turnaround. The closings will generate cost savings of $65 million per year, beginning in 2014. Penney expects estimated pretax charges of about $26 million in the current quarter. The struggling department store chain operates about 1,100 stores in the United States and had 116,000 employees as of Feb. 2, 2013.